Thai cuisine: Baked Tofu / Avocado Spring Rolls with Thai Peanut Sauce

Yesterday it started snowing its predicted 14 inches of snow. Even so, I decided that I needed to run errands before I could hardly get out of the driveway. This is what it looks like today.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

The snow trucks have not made it out today but people are shoveling their driveways and cleaning their cars to head out to work. Life goes on up in the north. If I were back in Texas, all schools would be closed and jobs probably held off for a bit.

Even so, I decided that I would not make something warm for dinner but something focused on spring. How about that? Ryan was happy when he found that I had planned on making something Asian, since he was tired of Tex-Mex. He had eaten way to much at the Super Bowl party and decided it was time to take a break from Tex-Mex food, even though he would ave been happy with my making Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Going back to being ispired by the up and coming Spring, I decided I would try my hand at fresh spring rolls. I knew I felt comfortable with making sushi all the time, but I decided it was time to learn how to work with rice paper. The preparation is almost the same with sushi rolls when it comes to making spring rolls.
You have to choose your fillings and then shred, julienne, chop, slice and have it nicely laid out on a board in order to make the assembly process easier. The exception comes when using the rice paper. You have to soak each sheet one at a time and wait for the paper to absorb the warm water. Then you add the fillings and roll. My process would have been a lot more labor intensive if I had not had this dandy tool I found about a month ago.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

It juliennes your choice vegetables in such a quick time. I mentioned a while back that the mandoline I received for Christmas did not work, especially when it came to julienning vegetables, so when I found this tool at the store for 3 bucks, I decided I must give it a try! No regrets. I julienned beets, cucumbers, and carrots like never before. The gadget is a julienne peeler made by OXO, ironic enough since the faulty mandoline was OXO. Here is what my bamboo board contained for the spring rolls:

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

I knew that Thai Spring rolls had cilantro and basil, but since I did not have cilantro, I decided to just stick with basil. Since these rolls were going to be our supper, I wanted a protein in the rolls and something hearty to make it filling. I found a baked tofu at my local health food store that looked very delicious, so I sliced that up along with some delicious avocado.

After I finished assemblying the rolls, I prepared a spicy peanut sauce that I knew Ryan would like. Does anyone else's husband like peanut butter sandwiches as mine does? Ryan likes anything that has crushed peanuts or a peanut sauce. He told me that the dipping sauce for the rolls was a KEEPER. Well, that is always good to know. I am glad I had all the ingredients in hand, especially tamarind concentrate. I am just happy that we have many Asian markets in our area, because I have been able to make the dishes we both like.

After the sauce was prepared, I decided to make a miso soup to accompany the meal, even though miso soup is NOT Thai. If I had more time, I would have made a Coconut-Curry Soup, but I will have to make that the next time.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

You know what goes really well with spring rolls? Delicious tea.

I recently received a few samples from Mighty Tea that have been so delicious.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

I try saving the bag and steeping it 3 times because the flavor is so intoxicating that it beckons to be infused one more time. I decided to have the White Orchard tea with dinner with is a mixture of white tea and green tea leaves with hints of melon and peach flavors. It was SO perfect with dinner that I decided that it was my NEW favorite tea along with the Green Tea Tropical flavor.

Enjoy making these rolls as much as I did!

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Baked Tofu / Avocado Spring Rolls

makes 8 rolls

2 carrots, julienned
1 cucumber, julienned
1 beet, uncooked and julienned
8-16 basil leaves
1 avocado, sliced
3/4 cup baked tofu, sliced
1 cup spinach leaves
8 green onion stalks
8 round spring roll wrappers
1 1/2 cups vermicelli (mung bean noodles)

Soak vermicelli noodles under warm water for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, drain noodles and toss with rice wine vinegar.

Prepare all the vegetables and lay out on a chopping board.

Add some warm water to a pie plate and soak one wrapper at a time. Place one wrapper in the water for a few seconds and place on another cutting board and wait for another few seconds for the water to absorb in the wrapper. once it becomes more pliable, start adding the filling.

Each roll should start with the basil leaves, 1/8 cup vermicelli noodles, 3 slices of tofu, 2 slices of avocado, 3 to 4 spinach leaves, a few carrots and beets.

From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Take one side of the wrapper and wrap over filling semi-tightly and roll slowly and wrapping the sides as you roll the center of the roll. The roll will seal automatically.

Place rolls on a plate not touching to each other, to prevent from tearing or sticking. Prepare sauce.

Thai Peanut Sauce

makes 1 cup

2 Tbsp Thai Kitchen's Spicy Thai Chili
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp Nakano rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup MaraNatha Organic peanut butter

Place ingredients in a food processor or using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients until smooth.

SO delicious!